Italian Game · 1750
The Légal Trap Declined
Teaching line — The same trap, but Black stays calm: take the knight, not the queen.
LevelBeginnerElo600–800ThemeDon’t grab material blindlyMoves6
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Moves · tap to jump
0/110/11
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Starting position
Ready
Press Auto-play to watch the game, or step move by move.
Main lesson
Before every capture ask what your opponent gets in return.
What your student should learn
- Traps only work on greedy players.
- Before capturing, ask what the piece was doing there.
- Losing a pawn is much better than losing the game.
- Know the refutation as well as the trap.
Mini tournament checklist
- ✓ Why is my opponent letting me take this?
- ✓ What do they get after the capture?
- ✓ Is there a safer capture available?
- ✓ Would declining leave me only slightly worse?
Run through this list before you start an attack in a real game. Mostly yes means look for tactics; otherwise improve one more piece first.
Full move list
The Same Trap Appears
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Declining Correctly
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Note: Play this straight after Legall’s Mate so the student sees the correct defence.